Carrying handle for containers



April 9, 1940. BELCHER 2,196,185

CARRYING HANDLE FOR CONTAINERS Original Filed 'Feb. 5, 1955 FIG. 4

DAN EL BEL CHER 9 010 (Mal/M [*tveniof Patented Apr. 9, 1940 UNITEDSTATES CARRYING HANDLE FOR CONTAINERSv Daniel ,Belcher, Minneapolis,Minn.,'assignor t Bemis'Bro. BagCo Minneapolis, Minn, a corporation of.Missouri Original application February 5, 1935, Serial No. 5,065.Divided and this application February 14, 1938, Serial No. 190,360

3. Claims.

This-invention relates-to new and useful improvements in bag topclosures, and an object ofthe invention resides in the novel manner inwhichthe bag topwalls are closed and folded into sealing relation,whereby a suitable carrying handle is provided to facilitatev carryingthe package.

A further objectzisto provide a bag top closure of thegeneralch'aracterdisclosed in the patent to William J. .Geimer, No. 1,833,675, but

which distinguishes therefrom in that the bag top walls are sogummed'and folded into sealing and closinggrela-tion, thatwhenoppositely disposed portions thereof are folded .over the bag topand suitably secured together, a carrying handle or grip-sis providedwhich may readily and conveniently begrasped by a person'carrying thepackage.

Other objects reside in the unique manner of folding oppositely disposedwalls of the bag mouth over the bag body "and suitably uniting them,whereby the bag is substantially hermetically sealed, and wherebyoppositely disposed triangularly shaped flaps are provided, which "flapsare folded inwardly over the previously folded wall portions and havetheir terminals suitably secured together, thereby; to provide a simpleand inexpensive carrying handle which does notimpair ordetracti'rom theneat appearance of the package.

The present application is .a division of my pending application, SerialNo. 5,065, filed February 5, 1935.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the followingdescription and accompanying drawing and will be pointed out in theannexed claims.

In the accompanying drawing, there has been disclosed a structuredesigned to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is tobe understood that the invention is not confined to the exact featuresshown as various changes may he made within the scope of the claimswhich follow.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a filled bag showing opposite wallportions of the bag mouth folded inwardly over the bag body and suitablysecured together to completely seal the bag mouth;

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the bag top completed and wherebya carrying handle is provided therein;

Figure 3 is an end view of the closed bag top, showing the upper wallportions which constitute the handle separated from the bag body tofacilitate grasping the handle; and

Figure 4 is a similar view, partially in section, showing a fingerinserted beneath the handle.

In the operation of closing the bag top in the novel manner hereindisclosed, the end walls 6-6 of the bag top are folded inwardly over thebag body, as clearly illustrated in Figure 1, whereby triangularlyshaped flaps 5-5 are provided which, as shown in Figure l, extendoutwardly in opposite directions.

A substantial area of one of the end walls 6 of the bag mouth isgumrned, as indicated at l in Figure 1, whereby when the end walls 68are folded inwardly, one over the other, as shown in Figure 1, they areunited or bonded together to provide a leak-proof joint therebetween.The gummed area i may extend outwardly to sub stantially the tip-s ofthe oppositely disposed flaps 5-5, whereby the overlapping portions ofthe end walls are united substantially their entire length. If desired,gum may he applied to both end walls 6. In practice, however, I havefound that a secure bond between the overlapping portions of the twowalls is obtained by the application of gum to one wall only.

The flaps 5-5 formed by thus inwardly folding the end walls 6, are thenfolded inwardly over the folded end walls and their tip portions orterminals suitably secured together by the application of a suitable gumor adhesive 8 to one or both of the tips. The gum 8 is so arranged onthe tips that it will be disposed between the contacting portionsthereof, when the tips are folded into contact with one another, asshown L in Figures 2, 3, and 4:, whereby the under surfaces 9 of theflaps 5-5 will not be united to the top wall portion ll of the bag body,formed by the united end walls 6-6.

The side flaps 55, when united, as shown in Figure 3, cooperate toprovide a handle, generally indicated by the numeral l2. When foldingthe side flaps 5 into engagement with one another to provide the handlel2, they are preferably so arranged that they may be separated from thesealed walls 5 to provide an opening it between said flaps and thefolded wall portions 5, adapted to receive a finger, as shown in Figurel. In Figure 3, the opening l3 may be shown slightly exaggerated, but itis to be understood that when the side flaps are folded into engagementwith one another and suitably secured together, a slight looseness maybe provided therein to facilitate separating them, as shown in Figures 3and i. This looseness, however, is not sufficient to mar or aifect theneat appearance of: the bag top, when the bags are displayed on a shelfor counter, or when stacked one on top of another. It is also to beunderstood that when a finger is inserted beneath the handle l2, the topwall portion ii of the bag body may yield to downward pressure on thefinger.

In the drawing, I have shown the overlapping portions of the side flaps5---5, as being secured together or united by suitably gumrning surfacesthereof, as indicated by the numeral 3. It is to be understood, however,that, if desired, other means may be pro ided for thus securing togetherthe tips of the iiaps 5E. For example, suitable staples, not shown, maybe employed in lieu of the gum, or other devices may be used which willeffect a secure bond between the tips of the two flaps. It may also, insome instances, be found desirable to use staples or other suitablesecuring elements in combination with an adhesive.

The novel bag closure herein disclosed, has proven very practical inoperation, and the embodiment of the handle therein does not add to thecost of closing and sealing the bag mouth. The invention makes itpossible to close and seal a bag top in such a manner that a convenientcarrying handle is embodied in the sealed bag top, whereby theapplication of separate carrying handles or devices to the closed bagtop is unnecessary.

The bag top walls, when folded into closing and sealing relation to sealthe bag top and to provide the novel carrying handle herein disclosed,will present a very neat appearing top which does not require the use ofadditional elements or parts to provide a carrying handle. Because ofthe slight looseness provided in the side flaps 5-5, when folded intocontact with one another: suitably secured together, one or more fingersmay readily be inserted between the handle portion, indicated by thenumeral 12, and the top wall i l of the bag body, whereby the filled ragmay be conveniently carried about, as will readily be understood byreference to Figure 4.

I claim as my invention:

1. A filled bag having flexible walls extending shove the level of thecontents of the bag bOC y and cooperating to provide the bag mouth,oppositely disposed portions of the bag mouth walls being foldedinwardly over the contents of the bag body and secured together to closethe bag .iouth, and whereby the remaining extended wall portions areformed into oppositely disposed substantially triangular flaps, saidflaps being folded inwardly and overlapping each other at theirrelatively narrow terminal end portions only, securing means confined tosaid overlapping end portion area of the triangular flaps securing saidflaps to each other independently of and in spaced relation to the firstfolded wall portions and forming a relatively narrow carrying handle ofsaid secured overlapping end portions of the flaps, thereby enabling afinger to be readily inserted between the secured flaps and the firstfolded wall portion to carry the bag by said flap handles.

2. A filled bag having flexible walls extending above the level of thecontents of the bag body and cooperating to provide the bag mouth,oppositely disposed portions of the bag mouth walls being foldedinwardly over the contents of the bag body and secured together to closethe bag mouth, and whereby the remaining extended wall portions areformed into oppositely disposed substantially trian ular flaps, saidflaps being folded inwardly and overlapping each other at theirrelatively narrow terminal end portions only, adhesive means confined tosaid overlapping end portion ar a of the triangular flaps disposedbetween and securing the opposing faces of the overlapping end portionsof said flaps to each other independently of and in spaced relation tothe t folded wall portions and forming a rel tively narrow carryinghandle of said secured overlapping end portions of the flaps, therebyenabling a finger to be readily inserted between the secured flaps andthe first folded wall portion to carry the bag by said flap handles.

3. A filled bag having flexible walls extending above the level of thecontents of the bag body and cooperating to provide the bag mouth,oppositely disp sed portions of the bag mouth Walls being foldedinwardly over the contents of the bag body to close the bag mouth, andwhereby the remaining extended wall portions are formed into oppositelydisposed substantially triangular flaps, said ilaps being foldedinwardly and overlapping each other at their relatively narrow terminalend portions only, securing means confined to said overlapping endportion area of the triangular flaps securing flaps to each otherindependently of and in spaced relation to the first iolded wallportions and forming a rela tivcly narrow carrying handle of saidsecured overlapping end portions of the flaps, thereby enabling to bereadily inserted between the secured flaps and the first folded wallportion to carry the bag by said flap handles.

DANIEL BELCHER.

